Kith and Kin

Chapter 1

Thank you guys for sticking with me! I know my fics have fallen aside as I work on my own novel. Thankfully A Demon in My Bed, the first book in my Sons of Sariel series, should be releasing in February and that'll give me a little more time for fics. In the mean time, this little idea woke me up this morning and I just had to write it down. Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 1

Kiri's heart pounded as she drove as fast as she dared, taking the twisting curves at break neck speed. She white knuckled the steering wheel around a particularly tight corner and swore as the tires hit a strip of gravel on the side, fish-tailing before gaining traction once more.

It had to be here somewhere! She was sure she'd seen it on the way past!

Tears pricked at her eyes and she cursed at herself, not having the luxury of becoming a sobbing mess right now. Still this was all her fault! She should never have gone downstairs to switch the laundry over. No matter how many times she'd told him to stay in the yard, she knew Jamie was too impulsive not to follow his imagination wherever it had led. The huge forest backing onto their new home must have looked like the ultimate adventure to a six year old. The fact that Jamie had only ever been in the forest on a day trip with his kindergarten class wouldn't have even factored in. Like any six year old, Jamie never thought about getting hurt. Never thought that there were bears or other wildlife.

Never thought that he could get lost.

When she'd come up from the basement and realized that the backyard with it's tiny swing set was vacant her heart had stopped in her chest. Kiri had raced out back, calling for Jamie as she searched around the house to no avail. She checked inside, hoping he'd just gotten bored and went to play with the toys in his room, but everything was quiet. When she'd reached the backyard again she plunged straight into the woods and it wasn't long before she'd come across a muddy little clearing filled with tiny sneaker prints.

He truly had gone into the woods.

She'd searched until her throat hurt from screaming but with the daylight fading her time was limited. Racing back to the house she grabbed her car keys and her phone and climbed in the car. She peeled out of the driveway, spraying gravel until she'd hit pavement, and raced back the way she'd come six days ago when they'd followed the moving truck to their new home.

Kiri shot a glance at her phone, hoping to put a call in to 911 or the local sheriff's department, but there was no signal. She vaguely remembered a lady at the coffee shop in town telling her to get a landline as cell reception was shoddy at best up here. With a fresh wave of frustrated tears threatening she tossed the phone on the passenger seat and almost missed the road that turned off, traveling parallel to the huge wall that rose up a good thirty feet in the air.

New Species Reservation.

The woods her new home backed up on were property of the NSO. The same NSO that took in bears and wolves that other places didn't have room for.

The dam that held her together almost broke free as she imagined her little boy lost in the woods with wild bears and wolves after him.

Kiri sped down the road, racing the length of the wall in search of the gate she'd seen days ago. She was worried she'd missed it, terrified that every second Jamie was lost was one more opportunity for fate to take him away from her, when the two looming towers rose up ahead bracketing the gate. She slammed on the breaks, tires screeching as she jerked the wheel and spun her little compact into place in front of the gate.

She was out of the car in seconds, not bothering to turn off the engine or shut the door in her haste. She threw herself against the solid metal gates, pounding her fists against it in an effort to gain attention.

"Back up, human female!"

Kiri paused her banging, glancing up to see two black clad figures looking over the top of the wall, one with a gun pointed at her. Seeing them looking so hostile just fed her fear for her son and she felt the tears spill down her cheeks as she backed up a few stumbling steps.

"Please! My son! I just want my son!" She pleaded, her words a tumble of incoherent sobs as she begged the New Species for her baby.